Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel has been suspended with immediate effect.
He is the subject of an investigation by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) following a complaint about his conduct.
The Inspector-General of Intelligence serves as the watchdog over the country’s intelligence agencies, including the Crime Intelligence Division of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Fazel’s suspension follows testimony from KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who recently told Parliament that crime intelligence has been “doing a lot of bad things.”
MKHWANAZI’S TESTIMONY
Mkhwanazi was appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption within the criminal justice system. He alleged that officials within the Crime Intelligence Division were involved in corrupt activities. He alleged that when these issues were reported to Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, who faces fraud and corruption charges, and to the JSCI, “nothing happened.”
While it remains unclear whether Fazel’s suspension is linked to Mkhwanazi’s testimony, the KZN police commissioner said it was disturbing when structures meant to hold people accountable do nothing.
Fazel was sworn in as Inspector-General of Intelligence in 2022. At the time, he was described as being “accountable, and reports to the committee for the overall functioning of his office.” According to a Parliamentary statement, Fazel was expected to act as a “foot soldier” for the JSCI, tasked with receiving and investigating complaints.
JSCI INVESTIGATES IMTIAZ FAZEL
In a statement, the Presidency confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended Fazel in line with sections 7(4) and 7(5) of the Intelligence Services Act (Act 40 of 1994). The Act provides that if the Inspector-General is the subject of an investigation by the JSCI, the President may suspend them pending the outcome of that investigation.
Meanwhile, Khumalo appeared in the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday, 15 October. Together with two co-accused, he filed an urgent application to have their bail conditions relaxed to allow them to return to work. However, the matter has yet to be heard, and the accused remain prohibited from returning to work until the proceedings are concluded.
